Why we booked on Carnival

[Presentation]

We have cruised on Carnival Cruise line in the past but our most recent Carnival Cruise was in 1999. Since then, it’s been the Disney Magic. We are booked to take one more trip on the Disney Magic in just over 3 weeks.

We have had a lot of fun on Disney but….well, it’s expensive.

We are both employed (knock on wood that nothing changes) however the stock market and the economy had hit us. Our retirement savings have taken a bad hit. Some of our income is variable and all reasonable indications are that our income in 2009 will also take a hit.

We decided that our options for 2010 are to find a more economical cruise or skip it for a year. The kids are only young once so the cost savings idea won.

We just booked an April 5th 2010 Carnival cruise on the Inspiration. We booked 2 adjoining ocean view staterooms. Our plan is to have the two of us sleep in one room and the 3 kids on the other.

We know we are comparing apples and oranges. One is a 7 day cruise on a more expensive line with us staying in a veranda and the other is a 5 day cruise and no veranda. However the cost savings is jaw dropping.

Our goal has changed. We intend to have as much fun as possible within a budget. We are going to re-set our expectations.

Some things I think we will really enjoy on Carnival:

- The waterworks water park for the kids. Disney has one slide, from what I can tell, this ship as 4.

- Having two heads with two showers, and a slight increase in combined indoor cabin square footage

- A change in the shows from Disney to Broadway/Vegas style. Love the Disney shows, we just are due for a change.

- A total vacation budget that has one less digit.

Some things I think we will miss:

- Autographs signings of Disney characters. We will try to compensate by doing this at Disney World before the cruise.

- Palo’s alternative adults only restaurant.

- The veranda

- The private island day

- The way Disney handles the debarkation process.

I have learned a lot just reading this forum, so thank you. We also have our outdated Carnival Cruise line experience to draw upon.

Here are my current questions but I’m sure I’ll have more:

#1) Waterworks 42” minimum height.

Our youngest daughter is just below the 3 percentile for height. She will be double the age of some of the kids on the slides. Height wise its going to be close. Per the growth chart she will be more like 41” tall at the time of this cruise. I’m considering water socks with cushioned inserts sewn into them. (go ahead and flam me for this, but answer the questions please)

How strict are they on the 42” height?

Are water socks allowed?

#2) Transportation from the ship back to the Tampa airport.

Our plan is to fly in 3 days early, rent a car, visit Disney World and relatives then I’ll drop the family off at the port, return the rental car then take the car rental’s shuttle back to the port. What car rental companies would do this?

How do we get from the ship back to the Tampa airport at the end? Taxi? Other options?

Thank you to all the helpful members here!

[Bobug]

We have cruised on Carnival Cruise line in the past but our most recent Carnival Cruise was in 1999. Since then, it’s been the Disney Magic. We are booked to take one more trip on the Disney Magic in just over 3 weeks.

We have had a lot of fun on Disney but….well, it’s expensive.

We are both employed (knock on wood that nothing changes) however the stock market and the economy had hit us. Our retirement savings have taken a bad hit. Some of our income is variable and all reasonable indications are that our income in 2009 will also take a hit.

We decided that our options for 2010 are to find a more economical cruise or skip it for a year. The kids are only young once so the cost savings idea won.

We just booked an April 5th 2010 Carnival cruise on the Inspiration. We booked 2 adjoining ocean view staterooms. Our plan is to have the two of us sleep in one room and the 3 kids on the other.

We know we are comparing apples and oranges. One is a 7 day cruise on a more expensive line with us staying in a veranda and the other is a 5 day cruise and no veranda. However the cost savings is jaw dropping.

Our goal has changed. We intend to have as much fun as possible within a budget. We are going to re-set our expectations.

Some things I think we will really enjoy on Carnival:

- The waterworks water park for the kids. Disney has one slide, from what I can tell, this ship as 4.

- Having two heads with two showers, and a slight increase in combined indoor cabin square footage

- A change in the shows from Disney to Broadway/Vegas style. Love the Disney shows, we just are due for a change.

- A total vacation budget that has one less digit.

Some things I think we will miss:

- Autographs signings of Disney characters. We will try to compensate by doing this at Disney World before the cruise.

- Palo’s alternative adults only restaurant.

- The veranda

- The private island day

- The way Disney handles the debarkation process.

I have learned a lot just reading this forum, so thank you. We also have our outdated Carnival Cruise line experience to draw upon.

Here are my current questions but I’m sure I’ll have more:

#1) Waterworks 42” minimum height.

Our youngest daughter is just below the 3 percentile for height. She will be double the age of some of the kids on the slides. Height wise its going to be close. Per the growth chart she will be more like 41” tall at the time of this cruise. I’m considering water socks with cushioned inserts sewn into them. (go ahead and flam me for this, but answer the questions please)

How strict are they on the 42” height?

Are water socks allowed?

#2) Transportation from the ship back to the Tampa airport.

Our plan is to fly in 3 days early, rent a car, visit Disney World and relatives then I’ll drop the family off at the port, return the rental car then take the car rental’s shuttle back to the port. What car rental companies would do this?

How do we get from the ship back to the Tampa airport at the end? Taxi? Other options?

Thank you to all the helpful members here!

 

Sounds like you have a plan.

Surely someone has answers to your questions???

[aggieastrosfan]

First off, I hope you enjoy your cruise! :)

 

As for the waterslides, we took our 3 year old (who looks about 5) on the Destiny 2 months ago. I measured him on the stick at the base of the stairs, and I was seeing 41,41.5" tall (about right, he's about 41-42 currently). I thought he might be slouching a bit, so I took him up the stairs to try anyway, but told him he may not be able to do it. Which they wouldn't. She said it was just too close and she couldn't be sure he was tall enough. No biggie, I expected it. But they appear to want to make sure the child is clearly at the minimum height before letting them slide. And I have seen them measure kids on other ships that were 3-4" above the requirement.

 

And I'm not sure if they'll allow the water shoes/socks on the slide. I know they wouldn't let us wear sunglasses, or have anything around our necks. Don't know how that would apply to something that's pretty well secured, though.

[DaDivaMom]

On our last two Carnival cruises we saw one ship be very strict with the height requirement and the other not at all. We even saw a dad take an infant on his lap! Water socks/shoes are allowed. If you don't make a big deal out of it and your daughter is mature I'm sure she will be allowed on the slide. I would prepare her though just in case you happen to get someone who is a by the book person.

 

Any car rental company will allow you to do what you are requesting. Are you flying into Tampa or Orlando? If Orlando then Avis is great with one way rentals. A taxi or shuttle service back to the airport in Tampa is no biggie. It is a very busy port with lots of transportation options. They even have a great aquarium should you need something to do for a few hours.